Key takeaways
- The Gulf campaign snapshot used for this analysis counts 806 structures still standing across 420 campaigns not marked completed. Standing describes observable physical status, not approved removal or available work.
- South Marsh Island leads the area rollup with 127 standing structures, followed by Main Pass with 95, Eugene Island and South Timbalier with 87 each, and Ship Shoal with 86.
- A total of 207 campaigns occupy Engage or Bid/verify structure windows, covering 601 standing structures. The Bid/verify subset contains 73 campaigns, 257 structures and 127 open removal applications.
- Removal timing depends on well status, application progress, engineering, method, marine spread, pipeline dependencies and procurement. Count, filing and contract are three different facts.
The visible symbol of Gulf decommissioning is a platform coming out of the water. The commercial work begins much earlier—and a standing platform can remain in the record for years before that lift.
The Gulf campaign snapshot documented in our operator-exposure analysis counts 806 standing structures across 420 campaigns not marked completed. Of those, 601 structures sit in 207 campaigns classified either Engage or Bid/verify for structure work. That is a commercially relevant inventory, but it is not 601 open removals. The value comes from separating physical status, regulatory status and sales timing.
What “standing” establishes
BSEE’s platform data distinguishes structures still present from those with a recorded removal. The agency publishes platform structures, applications and approvals, and a list of structures removed with removal dates and methods. GOMDecom connects those records to wells, leases, operators, pipelines and other campaign evidence.
In this analysis, a structure is standing when no removal completion has been observed in the monitored platform records. That establishes remaining physical scope. It does not establish:
- an approved removal application;
- a chosen removal or reefing method;
- completed well P&A beneath the facility;
- an operator’s procurement schedule;
- availability of a heavy-lift spread; or
- an unawarded contract.
Those distinctions are why the site uses a separate structure sales window alongside the overall lifecycle stage.
The five largest area inventories
The 806 structures are concentrated in familiar shelf areas.
| Gulf area | Standing structures in tracked campaigns |
|---|---|
| South Marsh Island (SM) | 127 |
| Main Pass (MP) | 95 |
| Eugene Island (EI) | 87 |
| South Timbalier (ST) | 87 |
| Ship Shoal (SS) | 86 |
Those five areas contain 482 structures, almost 60% of the active-campaign total. For heavy lift, marine transport, diving, cutting and site-clearance providers, the density matters. It can support geographic account plans and indicate where operators may benefit from campaign packaging or an already-mobilized spread.
It does not mean the structures are interchangeable. Jacket weight, deck configuration, water depth, damage, well condition, pipeline connections, reefing eligibility and access all affect method and schedule. An area count is a screen, not an engineering basis.
The structure sales windows
The campaign-level structure windows show how much of the inventory is merely standing versus moving toward or through a commercial decision.
| Structure window | Campaigns | Standing structures | Open removal applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scout | 66 | 205 | 0 |
| Engage | 134 | 344 | 0 |
| Bid/verify | 73 | 257 | 127 |
| None | 144 | 0 | 0 |
| Closed | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Scout contains visible standing scope with early context but no decisive removal signal. Engage contains stronger campaign movement that makes account-level contact timely even though an open removal application is not present in the tracked record. Bid/verify contains the narrowest pre-execution structure window: applications or comparable timing evidence are present and procurement needs immediate verification.
The 127 open applications inside the Bid/verify group are not 127 tenders. One campaign can include multiple structures or submissions, and procurement can precede the public filing. The filing is evidence that removal planning has entered the regulatory chain; it is not evidence about who has been hired.
A standing structure is scope. An application is motion. Neither is an award.
Why the well sequence matters first
Under 30 CFR Part 250, Subpart Q, well plugging and facility removal sit inside one decommissioning obligation but have their own applications and completion evidence. Operators generally need the well condition, conductor disposition and facility preparation resolved before a final lift.
That sequencing creates an important commercial asymmetry. A campaign already marked Execution for wells may still be in Engage or Bid/verify for structures. In other words, a late P&A lead can be an early heavy-lift lead.
The reverse can also happen in the data: a removal application may be visible while well operations, engineering revisions or other dependencies keep the actual lift distant. This is why a structure supplier should read the whole campaign rather than filter only the platform table.
Our platform-removal lifecycle guide follows the regulatory sequence from application to clearance. The commercial reading adds one more layer: which part of that sequence is addressable to the supplier now?
Method changes the market
“Platform removal” is not one service package. Topsides may be lifted in modules or as a single lift. Jackets may be lifted, cut into sections, toppled or partially removed under an approved reefing disposition. Site clearance and verification follow their own requirements.
The Rigs-to-Reefs program changes the final disposition of eligible structures, not the need for planning, cutting, marine operations and regulatory approval. A structure count therefore cannot be converted into a uniform vessel-day or tonnage estimate.
For commercial qualification, the questions are:
- Are the wells and conductors ready for the intended method?
- Has a removal application been received or acted on?
- Is the structure expected to go to shore, move to a reef site or remain partially in place?
- Are pipelines or adjacent structures tied to the same sequence?
- Is a likely start date visible—and has procurement been verified?
Where the opportunity is strongest
The most useful immediate pool is not all 806 standing structures. It is the intersection of:
- a service-compatible structure and water depth;
- a credible campaign grouping;
- an Engage or Bid/verify window;
- recent or scheduled movement;
- completion status that leaves the relevant scope open; and
- an account relationship capable of resolving procurement.
That intersection is smaller than the headline inventory, but it is where a pursuit becomes defensible. The market-level count helps a contractor decide which areas and accounts deserve coverage. A campaign-level Opportunity Brief resolves one block into remaining wells, standing structures, pipelines, timing and source evidence.
Sources
- GOMDecom, Gulf campaign snapshot documented in the operator-exposure analysis: standing-structure, area, removal-application and structure-window rollups.
- Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Platform/Rig Information, including platform structures, applications and approvals, and removed-structure records.
- BSEE Data Center, field definitions for Platform Structure Removals.
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 30 CFR Part 250, Subpart Q — Decommissioning Activities.
Put this to work
Track the opportunities behind the analysis.
Gulf decommissioning opportunities identified in monitored BSEE records, ranked by commercial priority and refreshed daily. Or validate a single pursuit with a $19 brief.
GOMDecom aggregates public regulatory data for informational purposes. Figures quoted from third parties are attributed in the text; verify against the cited source before acting. Nothing here is legal, investment or procurement advice.
